Top-25 Poll To Shake Up Texas, Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon Ducks In Rankings?

Where Will Oregon Ducks Be Ranked?

Oregon ended the 2024 regular season with a No. 1 national ranking. Starters such as quarterback Dillon Gabriel and offensive lineman Josh Conerly Jr. went on to the next level. Ducks coach Dan Lanning brought in new talent in the offseason, but much uncertainty lies ahead with a different-looking team.

Because of the unpredictability surrounding the Ducks’ roster, many national analysts have listed Oregon behind Big Ten foes Penn State and Ohio State in preseason rankings.

The Ducks find themselves inside the top 10 in the latest preseason rankings from CBS Sports Still, Oregon’s No. 7 spot isn’t where the program found itself well into the 2024 season.

CBS Sports' Preseason Top 25

No. 1 Texas Longhorns

No. 2 Penn State Nittany Lions

No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes

No. 4 Clemson Tigers

No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs

No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

No. 7 Oregon Ducks

No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide

No. 9 LSU Tigers

No. 10 Miami Hurricanes

No. 11 Arizona State Sun Devils

No. 12 Florida Gators

No. 13 Illinois Fighting Illini

No. 14 Kansas State Wildcats

Noo. 15 Michigan Wolverines

No. 16 South Carolina Gamecocks

No. 17 SMU Mustangs

No. 18 Texas A&M Aggies

No. 19 Iowa State Cyclones

No. 20 Tennessee Volunteers

No. 21 Texas Tech Raiders

No. 22 Ole Miss Rebels

No. 23 Indiana Hoosiers

No. 24 Oklahoma Sooners

No. 25 Utah Utes

Oregon Solidifying Its Depth Chart

The Longhorns return third-year quarterback Arch Manning this season, while Big Ten programs Penn State and Ohio State return top offensive players like Nittany Lions’ quarterback Drew Allar and Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.

On the offensive side of the field, Oregon will have a new starting quarterback and new names leading the running back and wide receiver rooms.

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore is who many predict to earn the starting job, but he’ll likely look a lot different from when he was thrown into the fire as a true freshman at UCLA in 2023. Meanwhile, fans will see how transfer running back Makhi Hughes fits into the Ducks’ backfield.

Oregon completed its first fall scrimmage on Saturday and Lanning stated that the staff should have some idea of a depth chart following the second scrimmage.

“As we go into that second scrimmage, there'll be some pieces of the puzzle we want in certain spots, but there's still a lot of competition to be had,” Lanning said.  “And start still a lot of guys we evaluate where they're at from a winning football standpoint.”

The Ducks added a lot of talent between the transfer portal and the 2025 recruiting class. While former Purdue safety Dillon Thieneman and five-star wide receiver Dakorien Moore are additions that will likely strengthen Oregon’s lineup, a lack of continuity makes it hard to predict the Ducks’ exact standing before they play their first game.

Oregon steadily made its way up the national top 10 rankings each week of the 2024 season until it became No. 1 in the nation. It could be a similar storyline in 2025 as the new puzzle pieces start fitting together.